Feed chute for washing machines



y 1940. l. J. STOYANCHUL 2,208,083

FEED CHUTE FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Aug. 7, 1939 -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [.JSZoyano/zul INVENTOR ATTORNEYS July 16,51940.

I. J. STOYANCHUL FEED CHUTE FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Aug. 7, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 yawn/Ya).

lcf ioyanahuz ATTORNEYS Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 r 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in dish washing machines and especially is concerned with a dish washing machine including novel means for moving dishes and other objects being 5 washed within the device.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel dish washing machine including means for feeding objects to be washed into the interior of the machine by means of gravity.

10 A feature of the novel feeding device according to the present invention is its simplicity of construction and freedom of moving parts whereby firstly, the advantages following from mass production well may be realized and, secondly, where- 16 by the cost of upkeep is minimized because of lessening of the likelihood of or necessity for repair. a

An advantage of the novel dish feeding device according to this invention is that the dishes and other objects to be washed by the machine are uniformly and. slowly fed into the interior of the device, the motion resulting substantially entirely from the action of gravity whereby likelihood of damage to the dishes or objects during 25 feeding is minimized.

Other objects, advantages and features of the new and improved dish washing machine according to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art during the course of the following description.

Regarded in certain of its broader aspects, the present invention comprises in a dish washing machine of the type including a cabinet and therein a conveyor for moving the objects to be washed into the locality of the washing machinery, the improved means for feeding the objects onto the conveyor which comprises a continuously downwardly inclined chute having a relatively narrow end portion curved substantially at right angles to the main portion, adapted to deliver objects placed in the chute onto the conveyor.

In order to facilitate a fuller and more complete understanding of the present invention a 45 specific embodiment thereof herein illustrated will be hereinafter described, it being clearly understood, however, that the illustrated embodiment, although presently preferred, is provided solely by way of example of the practice of this 50 invention and not by way of limitation thereof except insofar as the invention is recited in the subjoined claim.

Referring then to the drawings,

Figure 1 is substantially a top plan view of a 55 dish washing machine according to the present invention, parts of the casing being removed to exhibit interior structure,

Fig. 2 is aside elevational view of thedevice illustrated in Fig. 1, parts of the casing in this view too being omitted for clearness of illustration,

Fig. 3 is essentially a vertical sectional view of Fig. 2 taken along the line 33 thereof, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View of Fig. 1 taken along the line 4-4 thereof.

In describing the herein illustrated preferred embodiment of this invention generally designated by the numeral ID in the figures of the drawings, it will be noted that the device is enveloped in a casing comprising a bottom I I, sides It and 13, an open top I4, and ends l5 and I6 substantially as shown. The casing is internally divided by a longitudinally extending vertical partition H which extends through the casing substantially but not completely the length thereof, being disposed in spaced parallelism relative to the side l3 thereof. A continuously downwardly inclined chute is defined by the partition l'l, side wall I3 and the plate 18 attached to the partition and side wall. It is to be noted that the end portion IQ of the plate I8 extends substantially at right angles to the main portion of the plate and adjoins the casing end [6 whereby objects moving by gravity along the inclined plate i8 are delivered onto the end portion I9 of the plate from whence they pass onto a conveyor system which now will be described.

A series of endless conveyor belts 20 are freely movably carried upon supporting pulleys 2| extending through interior parts of the casing, substantially as shown, and pass underneath the end portion IQ of the plate l8 whereby objects with facility can pass from said plate end portion onto said endless belts for transfer through the interior of the casing. The endless belts 2|] are driven by means including the gears 22 associated with certain of the supporting pulleys over which the belts pass, the gears being connected by a chain drive 23 with a gear 24 mounted on the drive shaft of the reduction gear box 25 which is connected to and driven by a shaft 26 of the electric motor 21, the whole assembly being supported by appropriate means within the casing. Conventional rotary pumps 28 and 29, connected by a common shaft whereon is mounted the gear 30 meshing with the gear 3| on the drive shaft 32 of the motor 21, are provided for causing operation of certain other parts of the dish washing device as now will be described.

The pump 29 connected to a source of cleansing fluid through the conduit 33 transfers the cleansing fluid through the conduits 34 and 35 to the sprayers 36 whereby objects carried on the conveyer belts 2t during movement through the device are sprayed and thereby washed with the cleansing fluid as will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings. The pump 28 is connected to the supply line 31 through which rinsing fluid passes to the conduit 38 from whence it is discharged through sprayers 39, thereby removing cleansing fiuid from the objects being washed as they are moved on the endless conveyer belts 20 under the sprayers 39, as will be apparent from the drawings. The rinsed objects are thereafter sterilized by sterilizing fluid such as boiling water, superheated steam or the like conveyed through the conduit and discharged through the'sprayers H. The cleansed, rinsed and sterilized objects are thereafter removed from the device through the open top l4 thereof as-they ac-' cumulate in the vicinity of the sterilizing sprayers 4|.

It is to be noted that the continuously downwardly inclined plate [9 provides means for feeding objects onto the conveyor belts in a manner such as to preclude damage to the objects inasmuch as the feeding of the objects is accomplished solely by action of gravity and does not include positive force. The likelihood of too rapid feeding is minimized by the disposition of the end portion of the feeding chute at right angles to the main portion thereof whereby inertia and momentum of objects driving down the chute is diverted and dissipated Having thus described the present invention, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a dishwashing machine of the type including a cabinet and therein a, conveyor for moving the objects to be washed into the locality of the washing machinery, the improved means for feeding the objects onto the conveyor which comprises a continuously downwardly inclined chute having an anconoid end section presenting a relatively narrow branch, adapted by gravity slowly to deliver objects placed in the, chute onto the conveyor, the proximal side of said narrow branch being open.

IVAN JOI-llN STOYANCHUL. 

